Adventures In Caronavirus Land, Episode 5

RCSC still has not given the order to close the rec centers. I'm convinced it's well past time. With Trump's declaration that we should meet in groups no larger than 10 people, even the righty wingnuts might finally realize this is more than a democratic hoax, or an overreaction plot to destroy the economy. Faux Snooze might even take notice. After all, it's their audience who's most vulnerable. No, stupid and deluded aren't risk factors per se. It's the age group.

We didn't need a plot to plunge us into recession. Economists with both brain and spine have been saying for months now that this is where we've been headed. Even this non-economist knows that when the stockmarket, housing market, or any market pushes way up it must, at the very least, suffer through a correction.

Or have we already forgotten the lessons of 2008?

I did my teensy part to support a local business. My craving for Chinese finally won out. Take-out only, of course, and fingers crossed. Four entrees should last us both for a while. I never tip for take-out, but this time I left a generous one, along with my hopes that they will survive these next weeks or however long by being able to remain open for take-out.  That's been the bulk of their business anyway, from what I've seen over the last few years.

Hunkering down is being advocated in clusters of populations around the country, depending on who's in charge, government-wise. Reactions range from nobody-can-tell-me-what-to-do, and this-is-martial-law: arm-yourselves! to grudging compliance, to proactive willing compliance. There's always an intrepid - or desperate - reporter out interviewing the person on the street. Somehow it's never the sensible ones staying home, of course. The most touching report was from the mother of a child whose school is out for however long. Her daughter told her that now she doesn't have to fear school shooters for a few weeks.

Ouch!

Coming on top of reports of gun stores doing a brisk business, some to the point of running out of ammo: double ouch.

I heard from my daughter, just a quick phone call while waiting for that food order. Her conference she was to fly down here for over Easter has been canceled. It was expected. Still, she had planned to visit anyway. Not any more. One thing is, it's been rescheduled to next year's Easter weekend. We'll still get that visit, just postponed. The other is the increasing reports of people who have the virus being able to spread it for days before they become symptomatic. (Our government finally quit claiming that wasn't an issue. Negligent twits! And I'm being kind here. Don't know why.) She decided not to take the chance of catching it on the airplane and sharing it with us two geezers. I still plan on seeing her this summer.

Steve was finally talked into making an appointment with his doctor for something to deal effectively this time with his infection after the last antibiotic didn't do the job. Of course, he still has to live with it until Wednesday, the first open appointment.

Not helpful.

I'll drive him there, but he's on his own going into the clinic.

I'll have to remember to put the bottle of hand sanitizer in the car. It's a whole ounce, cost $2. That's cheap, ridiculous as it is. Stores are out, so on-line shopping shows how "the market" is taking advantage. After prowling eBay and other sites, not only were prices horrible, but the usually free shipping for a bottle could be as much as $30! Wipes, bleach, alcohol, same story. I gave up in disgust. If we actually stay home, there's plenty of soap for all the household uses.

If that's not annoying enough, a whole lot of eBay sellers are buying their ad placements for totally irrelevant items among those we are searching through. Really: I should want nail files because I'm hunting hand sanitizer? Are shoppers that impulsive? Stupid?  OK, apparently yes, and yes.

It's not just hoarding and over pricing. The con artists are out in force too. Phony "cures" on wingnut radio are flagrant. Some are dangerous in themselves, not just in their uselessness and budget draining. I even got a phone call from some (bogus) company informing me they had gotten a prescription for me for a piece of medical equipment, and would I care to place the order now? Where do these people com from? I simply informed her I knew nothing of any such prescription, and definitely NOT!

Heard of the toilet licking challenge?   OK, if you're done vomiting, listen up. Best theory I've heard is these people are all Russian - um, not bots, but disinformation specialists. They are trying to reach that segment among us who can be influenced by things like "Jackass" to do stupid things just because they think others can get away with whatever it is, so they can "prove" themselves by doing it too. Take a close look at those faces in those - uh, ads? Eastern European, all. Nothing American looking in them. Disinformation campaign to eliminate or weaken us. Crazy? You decide. Evil? Absolutely. Beyond Putin's pale? Who gave us Trump, eh?

Karma. Darwin Awards. Schadenfreude.  These are terms getting lots of attention in comment sections on line. They follow the threads of discussions after people are outspokenly stupid or even malignant about not taking precautions to spread the virus, or when we find out Kushner has a brother in the company Trump has working on the test kits (follow the money, folks), or Trump's bid to buy that German company working on a vaccine, with him wishing to limit it for US only. Red states are likely to be most affected by the virus, particularly the ones who turned down expansions in Medicaid back when Obamacare had the government pay for it all. So: karma. All those Trump cronies at CPAC along with indifferent virus carriers who might now be getting sick: schadenfreude. Attribution attempts of Darwin Awards are quickly thwarted by other commenters reminding folks that those are only earned by persons who have not yet replicated their DNA in offspring. Too late.

Check out Kentucky for a moment. Moscow Mitch, in the middle of a crisis, heads home for a break so the Senate can't take any action to curb or ameliorate the effects to people or the economy. This, of course, doesn't stop him from campaigning older judges to retire, so he can continue to fill the federal benches with extremists even more than he's been quietly doing already. (What: you didn't know?) Kentucky has a huge population with coal-caused lung issues. They don't have to be miners. It's in the air everywhere. That whole population is particularly vulnerable to covid 19.  Does Moscow Mitch care? It's nowhere evident. But his wife's family is making a mint with her connections in her position in the administration.

Other senators are proposing financial payouts to those hit hardest by job loss right now. While that may help, particularly those needing groceries, how about also legislating moratoriums of things like evictions and repossessions for those affected? Our electric company has announced that there will be no electricity shutoffs for the duration. Where air conditioning is a summer must-have, this equates to Minnesota keeping the winter heat on. It's survival. I've gotten emails from both my garbage and gas companies. They pledge their precautions in case of contact at our houses. The garbage company has closed its offices to customers, referring us to phone contact with apologies for delays.

Just after a quick pause to update reading emails, our club president has announced club closure at 4:00 this afternoon, until further notice. I presume that means RCSC has gotten off their a$$es and closed the rec centers. I'd already emailed her I wasn't going in for "my day" to do what Steve calls "babysitting the club." My credit union also emailed that they are going to drive-through only. Since I'm on a mail-only and direct deposit status with them, plus e-payments for bill pay, nice to know but irrelevant for now.

I also plan not to protest this weekend. It's not for want of an audience, if yesterday is any indication. Traffic here is maintained still at usual levels. There have been fewer people doing their morning walk down the sidewalk, however.  Weird. What kind of crowds do they anticipate? Then again, I guess you never know who might cough in passing.

A quick emergency trip to the store for milk, butter and eggs revealed a whole lot of empty shelves with signs saying "one only". That included milk, eggs, and butter. Naturally. Supposedly they restock overnight, but the early morning parking lot was jammed. The weird thing was the shoppers were thinned out. Had they been raptured?

Did you snicker at yesterday's post about cloud watching to combat cabin fever? Sunset was spectacular. Light pink clouds across a light blue sky, slowly darkening to purple on deep blue. I even got Steve out to share it with me. Forgot the camera, of course.

Morning news cites 90 deaths, over 4,000 cases. Sick people still can't get tested because of "qualifications." Trump says he's doing a great job. Then he states he's going, now, to put the "A Team" on to the job of fighting the virus.

What, now? Who's been doing it so far?

Oh yeah, this is Trump. I doubt that he'd recognize an A Team if it came with Mr. T loaded in gold chains.